"My hope for this record is that it will channel and connect with whoever needs to feel empowered by the message," she said

After Solange Knowles released her self-written and self-produced album, A Seat At the Table, last Friday, she dropped two fresh new music videos for her tracks Don't Touch My Hair and Cranes In The Sky.

Directed by her husband Alan Ferguson, the videos and the album were – according to Solange herself – fuelled and inspired by the stories of the black people in America who had their lives and freedom taken away from them.

"When I felt afraid or when I felt like this record would be so different from my last, I would see or hear another story of a young Black person in America having their life taken away from them, having their freedom taken away," she said. "That would fuel me to go back and revisit and sometimes rewrite some of these songs to go a little further and not be afraid to have the conversation."

"I would hope that people would hear this record and recognise my truth and respect my truth, even if it isn't exactly their truth, in order to allow me to have the space to expand in my evolution," Solange said. "If there is someone that is not on board with allowing me that space and allowing me to live and have it in my truth, then they probably were not fans to begin with."

"Some of the artists that I love and appreciate the most have had such strong evolutions within their craft that it almost feels impossible to bring everyone with you on a journey as an artist," she added. "My hope for this record is that it will channel and connect with whoever needs to feel empowered by the message."

A Seat At The Table is only available digitally at the moment but you can pre-order the physical copy (out on 18 November) and the vinyl version (out on 9 December) here.